Sept 1, 2012, was a hot day for running in Damascus, VA. Temperatures reached into the upper 80s with high humidity- hot & muggy conditions to face the course. Runners from many different states came for the challenge: Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York, Louisiana, Texas, and Nevada.
184 runners chose to battle the heat, humidity, and trails that morning. 30 mile competitor Johnny Clemons led the entire field from the start. Unfortunately, the first casualty dropped in those first few miles- a 16 mile competitor realized it wasn’t his day and decided to return to the finish and avoid injuring himself on the trails.
2 hours, 26 minutes, and 38 seconds after starting, Nathanial Burch crossed the finish line to win the 16 mile male event. 21 minutes later, Heidi Overbay finished to win and set a new 16 mile women’s course record of 2:47:38. Not only did Heidi set a new course record, but she also entered the Iron Mountain Woman competition and set a new record for the 16 mile women of 127 by pumping out 127 sit-ups. So even with the tough conditions, Heidi set 2 records in one day! The 16 mile Iron Mountain Man competition was won by Michael Phibbs with a score of 191- 131 push-ups and 60 sit-ups. This strong performance not only earned him the win but also the top spot in the record books. The Masters’ divisions (50 years old and up for the IMTR) were won by Dennis Lewis in 3:10:29 and Norma Smith Stanford in 3:29:34. The youngest 16 mile finisher was Rachel Corrigan in 2:50:56.
Out on the trails, the runners continued to battle the conditions. Johnny Clemons led the 30 mile field, crossing the finish line in 3:46:01, setting a new 30 mile men’s record. He too entered the Iron Mountain Man competition and scored an impressive 162 but that would not hold up throughout the day. Leah Nicholson won the women event with a time of 5:03:54. David Mackanic took the 30 mile Iron Mountain Man award with a score of 196 by pumping out 50 push-ups, 98 sit-ups, and 16 pull-ups. Grace Ranson secured the women’s 30 mile Iron Mountain Woman title with a score of 129- 109 push-ups and 20 sit-ups. The 30 mile masters division divisions (50 years old and up for the IMTR) was won by Gregory Gearhart in 5:12:47 and Caroline Williams in 7:43:23. The youngest 30 mile finisher was David Mackanic in 4:45:24, the same man who won the 30 mile Iron Mountain Man award. One of the 30 milers got two extra adrenalin boosts- when she saw a bear on the course and when she almost stepped on a snake. The 30 mile event course took its toll on a few more runners- three 30 milers did not finish the event. One runner turned around early and 2 were pulled for time limits. After they were pulled they assisted the Skulls Gap aid station in repositioning; their help was appreciated by the volunteers!
Meanwhile, the 50 mile runners were still out there! Troy Shellhamer won the 50 mile event in a very solid 7:28:41. Teddi Schneider won the women’s 50 mile race in 10:05:33. Clyde Owen earned his 50 mile Iron Mountain Man title with a score of 185- 100 push-ups and 85 sit-ups. Lisa Arnold won the 50 mile Iron Mountain Woman award for the second year in a row with a score of 120- 20 push-ups, 67 sit-ups, and 11 pull-ups. The 50 mile masters’ division was won by Clyde Owen in 10:45:54. Remember, this is the same man who won the Iron Mountain Man competition! No masters ladies finished the 50 mile event. The youngest 50 mile finisher was Nate Lancaster in 11:18:44.
But out on the trails competitors were still running and some were still dropping. One 50 mile runner realized the conditions weren’t right for him so he dropped to the 30 mile event. Others dropped at aid stations or were pulled for time. The last person to finish the 50 mile event missed the official finishing time by 56 seconds by crossing the line in 12:00:56.
This year we had 184 starters overall: 72 runners started the 50 mile event, 59 started the 30 mile event, and 53 started the 16 mile event. The 50 milers had 50 official finishers, 1 runner finish 56 seconds over the 12 hour limit, 1 runner drop to the 30 mile event, and 20 DNFs for an official finish rate of 69%. The 30 milers had 59 starters, they gained one from the 50 milers, and had 3 DNFs. The 16 milers had 53 starters and 1 DNF.
While we thankfully avoided the remnants of Hurricane Isaac, the runners ended up suffering through a hot and muggy day, which was reflected in the many DNFs. Even with the tough race conditions two new course records were set (30 miles- Johnny Clemons & 16 miles Heidi Overbay) and 2 new Iron Mountain Man/Woman records were set (16 miles- Michael Phipps & 16 miles Heidi Overbay).
Huge thanks go out to the volunteers; without many people helping out this race could not be held!!!!! Thanks to all the runners who came out to support this race. And special thanks to my wife, Ann Townsend, who is sorting race supplies as I finish typing this.
The tentative date for the 2013 race is Saturday, August 31, 2013 (Labor Day weekend). Registration will hopefully open on June 1. As in the past two years, I am guessing we will sell out, so I recommend signing up early! See you in 2013.